Council declares Costa Mesa a 'Rule of Law City'

Council declares Costa Mesa a 'Rule of Law City'
BY CINDY CARCAMO and ELLYN PAK
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

COSTA MESA – The City Council made it clear Tuesday night that people who are in the country illegally are not welcome in their city.

A federal agent is assigned to the Costa Mesa jail to check the immigration status of arrestees. Mayor Allan Mansoor says more needs to be done to crack down on illegal immigrants.



A federal agent is assigned to the Costa Mesa jail to check the immigration status of arrestees. Mayor Allan Mansoor says more needs to be done to crack down on illegal immigrants.

Council members voted to pass a resolution declaring Costa Mesa a "Rule of Law City" at the behest of Mayor Allan Mansoor, who has long been known as a vocal opponent of illegal immigration.

"I have a lot of concerns with cities calling themselves sanctuary cities," Mansoor said before the vote. "It's important we state that we do not support illegal immigration."

Mansoor's proposal was met with comments from five public speakers, all of whom criticized it. Some said the declaration would paint the city in a bad light and polarize the community. Others called the resolution a political move by Mansoor in his bid for the state Assembly.

The council voted 4-0 in favor of the declaration. Council member Katrina Foley was absent.

Councilwoman Wendy Leece said she supported the resolution, stating that the city's relationship with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the city jail has helped reduce crime.

"This is just validating and reinstating the federal immigration law that we already follow," she said.

Before the vote, Counciman Eric Bever suggested expanding the declaration.
"I would suggest we are a rule of law city regarding all laws," Bever said.
Mansoor explained he wanted to make a specific point about illegal immigration.

Mansoor propelled himself and his city into the front lines of the immigration debate about five years ago with his stance against illegal immigration.
He made national headlines when he aligned himself with the Minuteman Project, targeted day laborers and pushed for a program that trained officers to perform some duties of federal immigration agents.

Ultimately, an ICE agent was placed at the city jail to check the immigration status of inmates who are suspected of being in the country illegally.

Mansoor said that Arizona's new anti-illegal immigration law didn't play a part in his proposal and that action in his city is long overdue.

Mansoor and the city are known for leading the way in the county's fight against illegal immigration.

However, earlier this year, he came under fire by anti-illegal immigration activists after it was discovered that the city isn't using a 6-year-old federal program called E-Verify, which is intended to weed out employees who are working in the country illegally.

At the time, he said other issues had taken priority and that he hadn't gotten around to proposing E-Verify as mandatory for the city and its contractors.
About two months later, he announced a press conference where he said he sought more stringent policies, from requiring Costa Mesa businesses to verify a workers' immigration status to allowing police officers to check legal status and valid identification of unlicensed drivers, especially when ICE agents are not present at the jail.

"I want to bring something forward in the next couple of months to start looking at some new policies," Mansoor said. "I've done a lot of research on my own. And I'm going to bring it forward in a manner that's doable."
Contact the writer: 714-796-7924 or ccarcamo@ocregister.com

 

This is a good start.

 

There is hope for you guys!

 

You know we are behind the Orange Curtain! Now for a new sheriff! Can we have yours?